Night 59: Meeting Room 1

[damned_soldiers]

The door opened at the start of the night, and the air in the meeting room seemed to stagnate, as if resonating with the presence of the newcomer. Formalities were offered first and foremost: all military personnel stood at attention and welcomed their commanding officer with a salute. In turn, Aguilar reciprocated the gesture, before moving on to

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[madeinthehrl]

There was a certain sort of quiet Soma adopted prior to every mission, one which calmed her and helped her focus on the battle ahead. It was usually lost seconds into the actual fight, despite her best efforts, but she had adopted it now in preparation for the task she'd been assigned

[poorexample]

Castiel, despite his position as an angel and all of the duties that had come with it, was hardly ever patient. The mission had been explained, the soldiers had been hand-chosen and put in place, and a wristband had been attached to him, a sort of collar in its own right. Something that was to keep him controlled, when his wings had already been weighed down almost to the point of nonexistence

[selfnighted]

Ow ow ow. That was quite a surprise, and even after Maya had recovered from the infernal thing at her wrist-for a moment, when it had started, Maya had thought something had happened to her-the alarms began to go off, leaving her with several long moments without any peace of mind.

Now then. Her fellow patients were asking something, and she looked up long enough to confirm that the object of their questions was not Maya. Right then, she could listen without staring; Maya turned her attention to the bracelet. Maya refused to tug at the thing until it chafed her skin, but a little fiddling confirmed that it didn't come off easily.

Other things required her attention. Had she been mistaken-addled by the noise-or had she seen the general and his minions teleport? Had she heard something about a 'Code Red' amidst the noise? How bizarre.

What was Harrington? What was the red glow? Maya looked up for the soldiers' answers.

[damned_soldiers]

A wave of disappearing military officials was a wonder to watch. Claude pursed his lips at the sight and whistled a melody, thoroughly amused. He hadn't forgotten the danger, of course. They had skirted death in that stagnant air; there had been no guarantee that the device would have functioned as planned. How fortunate for them. So the soldier-turned-traitor had an excuse, you see, for basking in this moment of triumph

[damned_soldiers]

Major Cartwright, the one who was the most out of place in the room at this point, didn't seem too surprised by the questions tossed her way. Oddly enough, the expression that was mainly showing at this point was an overwhelming relief.

The starting of the sirens caused her to wince and glance up, and she watched as a pink wave of energy spread across the room, clinging to some of the furniture. She sent Harrington -- though he wasn't Harrington at all, in the end -- a quick, concerned glance before facing the three patients.

The man's introduction was frankly ridiculous, and Cartwright gave a small smirk and a shake of her head in response to it. "That's one way to put it..."

But here was the moment she'd been waiting for. "Let me introduce myself to you all too." The woman reached up to her beret and yanked it off, freeing her dark hair and removing the shadow it had cast on her face. With the hat gone and a much more open expression showing, it was clear that she was a soldier no longer. "My name is..."

[triplecrossing]

"Lydia Thayer." The moment that the name left her mouth, she forced out a laugh that was half-disbelieving. It felt so good to say it, so good to know that she wasn't limited in what she could say anymore

[madeinthehrl]

Lydia Thayer. The head nurse. That was a name she recognized, and so was the voice--enough so that Soma felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner. She should have known. She'd spoken to the woman through all of lunch. She'd been talking to a spy

[poorexample]

The male soldier -- Claude Prescott, it seemed his true name was -- didn't offer much information in the end. It was already clear that he had been a plant, and the other details he gave didn't amount to much

[selfnighted]

Would the general turn out to be Landel in disguise next? What meaning was there in the presence of the three patients? The general had ignored them, having decided instead to confront Prescott right then and there

[damned_soldiers]

It was an introduction worthy of history. Claude would hardly be surprised if this moment would ring throughout the vines of patient gossip for months to come. No wonder, too. Place a significant figure before them, and none would think to disregard the meaning. And Lydia was significant, wasn't she

[triplecrossing]

So Soma and the male patient (she realized he didn't know his name) were the kind who questioned. That was really for the best, since these three would be expected to carry on a torch, and yet Lydia found herself frustrated. She was finally able to speak freely and yet she didn't have the time to go into this with any detail. If they stayed here too long, all of this would have been for nothing

[madeinthehrl]

Attacked by something devastating. That was all the information Lydia could give her, and Soma found herself very nearly disappointed by the lack of detail. But it was enough. It would have to be enough. Any more, and she supposed she might have been in danger of beginning to sympathize with her captors. In a way, she knew what that felt like

[poorexample]

When the other patient extended her arm toward him, Castiel paused for a moment, realizing that it had been some time since someone had asked him to use his powers to aid them. In a way it had been missed, that ability to be useful, and so he didn't hesitate for long. He gingerly reached for her device and then snapped it off with as much ease as he had with his own.

By that point the two rebels had answered their questions, and yet again the female was more informative. The world had been attacked by something devastating, she said. Was it possible that Heaven had been to blame for that? Had the Apocalypse come about already with him somehow remaining completely unaware of it?

But no, he should have known. If his brothers were out there waging war somewhere beyond these walls, he would have been able to feel that. Gabriel would have, as well. There was no way he could be ignorant of such a thing

[selfnighted]

There it was again, the vagueness that couldn't have been anything but deliberate. Instead of telling the patients not to follow them, they'd opted for this obfuscation instead. Tear gas... This was far cry from that incident, but, doubled over coughing, it came to the forefront of Maya's mind anyway. All the more reason not depend on them overmuch.

Maya's priority was her life, she mused as the smoke cleared away. For that reason, she was hesitant to leave, in case whoever was coming could be persuaded that Maya had been forced into this room and she had no dealings with the rebel cause.

Yet there would come a time when Maya must be decisive. Something seemed to have been set into motion tonight; why not join the fray tonight of all nights? She had not been given time to think, and there was not reason to suspect she would be.

Leaving it was, then, Maya thought as she took off her hat and tossed it on the table. "Thank you for the assistance," she said to the man as she opened the door.

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